As a homeopath with over 21 years’ experience of running a busy practice, and principal of Centre for Homeopathic Education (CHE), I am often asked by students and homeopaths the best way to build their practice and have coached many practitioners over the years who go from a handful of patients to a thriving sustainable practice.

Each time I coached individuals I found it was not their lack of homeopathic knowledge that was stopping them building sustainable practices; it was their own thinking and beliefs. It would seem that their thinking was often getting in the way of them being successful. They often lacked focus and a plan of what they really wanted.

Things have come a long way since I started. The Internet didn’t really exist, no smartphones and no social media. There are now so many tools available to people who want to set up and improve their practices. Over the years I have seen what works and what doesn’t, and I have many ideas to share.

These tips I’m going to give you will work – on one condition – homeopaths have to believe in themselves. The common thread I see among successful homeopaths is their confidence in themselves and in their art. The tips help, certainly, but if homeopaths’ inner world is not in alignment, it can only take them so far.

So how to improve your own feeling about yourself? Firstly, you need to be healthy yourself, physically, mentally and emotionally. You have to ‘walk the talk’ and improve your own vitality using homeopathy, improve your nutrition or take up something like yoga, Tai ’Chi or Meditation. You also need to examine your thoughts and thinking.

Once you have your confidence and your passion working for you – nothing can stop you – and then you may find these useful to start your practice, or to build your practice from where you are:

Inside out world. One of the most important aspects to look at first is our thinking. Most people believe that their feelings are coming from somewhere other than thought, that it’s coming from someone or something “out there”. I can 100% guarantee that it’s coming from within each one of us. Our feelings are coming from thoughts and our thoughts aren’t real even thought they appear to be. We often get caught up with dwelling on the past or worrying about the future, but spend very little time in reality, the present. It is an inside out world not an outside in world. Once you identify this it changes everything.

Be passionate and enthusiastic – embody what you do. I believe homeopathy is one of the greatest gifts you could share with anyone. Feel this, live this, shout it from the rooftops! People will be attracted to your confidence and passion.

Be authentic, be yourself. Developing a deeper connection to what you do and who you are will give you greater clarity with your patients. I have found meditation to be a key to my success as a practitioner, which has allowed me to connect on a deeper level, get out of my thinking and be in the present more. People want to be connected and great healing can take place in this space.

Don’t been afraid of criticism. Homeopathy has had its fair share of criticism over the last few years in the media and it is easy to assume that everyone has heard this and believes it. However, most people still don’t know what homeopathy is and if you did a survey on any high street and asked a 100 people you would find this to be the case. Once you have enough clinical experience of homeopathy and you embody it when you hear the criticism in the media it becomes neutral and you see it for what it is, only an opinion. If anyone attacks or ridicules you about using homeopathy, the best response is the question “What’s your experience of using it?” Usually they don’t have any, just something they have read. We don’t need to waste energy going around trying to defend homeopathy, feeling on the back foot, just push a positive agenda. Let your patients be your measure of whether it works or not. Remember millions of people around the world use homeopathy.

Word of mouth is king. If patients have a good experience with you, they will tell their friends and family. So aim to exceed your patients’ expectations. They will reward you for it, they will return, and they will tell their friends and family. Give great service, and follow up if appropriate. This effort will pay off.

Make a business plan including a marketing plan. If you were going to make a long journey then you would make a plan of how you were going to get there, what you would need etc. It’s the same with your practice as the plan sets out very clearly what your business is, what makes it unique and its aims and objectives. Most importantly it shows the financial forecast and gives a good indication of how much you need to charge for your services as you see what expenses you have to pay out. Students at the CHE learn how to do this as part of their training, however if you don’t know how to do this there are plenty of templates and training available online these days. Go on a short course if necessary. Find out how to set objectives for yourself and make a plan for meeting them.

Review and update your plan every year at least. You and your practice will change, and you need to allow for this. A review may also highlight to you where you have lost focus and where you need to change

Get into an entrepreneurial mind-set. I see many new homeopaths that are used to earning a salary, struggle with being self-employed and running their own business. It’s true that it’s a whole new world, which requires different skillsets and mind-sets. It can be scary, but when it works it is the most exhilarating and liberating feeling.

Don’t sell your time – sell a service. Don’t think that you are selling an hour of your time – you are selling someone a whole new view of their health, and empowering them to change it! So this means it is a longer-term commitment. To support this relationship, consider a payment scheme such as a monthly payment for a service or packages as they do in the coaching world. I know homeopaths who are charging £3000 for a six-month package. The options are endless. I also offer a 10% tithe in my practice for free treatment which can be hospital visits, home visits or people who genuinely cannot afford treatment.

Learn from other professionals. You can learn a lot from looking at successful psychotherapists, nutritionists, and chiropractors…. Why not befriend one of these and learn from them? It is essential to think outside the box, consider new ideas and learn from successful people.

Embrace technology! Use social media to promote your business, and consider offering Skype consultations. You can see patients anywhere in the world. We are all in a global market place now. All you need is to set up a way to get paid, and a reliable supplier of remedies. If you’re a bit technology-shy – spend some time to familiarise yourself. It may take some time, and a change of mind-set, but it is the way of the future and it’s not going to go away.

Speak to people. Offer to do talks at local mother and baby groups, at local community centres or offer free webinars on First Aid homeopathy. Offer free 15 minute consultations. The more that you speak to people about homeopathy, the more you start to embody it. The more you embody it the more impact you will have on people exposed to your enthusiasm and the more patients you will get.

Never stop studying. Homeopathy is an enormous area of study and new studies to support homeopathic thinking are coming out every week. Also look at other areas of personal development, which will enhance you as a practitioner. My advice is never to accept that you have arrived, and you know it all. As a homeopath you will always be a student. Make sure you attend homeopaths’ groups, or attend CPD events and seminars regularly, to keep your knowledge up to date, and to stay inspired.

See a homeopath yourself. This is an essential piece of advice. You cannot expect yourself to treat others if you are not in the best shape – and if you are not a walking advertisement of your own art and craft. I am still amazed at how homeopathy works for me, and I am therefore able to impart this to my patients and students.

There are many more tips to share, but in my opinion the issue of sorting through your own issues is the key, and everything else will fall into place.

May the Vital Force be with you… always…

About the author:

Marcus Fernandez, Principal of the Center for Homeopathic Education, London. Marcus is a homeopath with over 20 years´experience of running a busy homeopathic practice, and the Principal of the Center for Homeopathic Education (CHE). He is passionate about sharing the art and science of homeopathy with as many people as possible. This includes educating the homeopaths of the future and supporting homeopaths into practice. You can connect with CHE at www.facebook.com/CHEhomeopathy/ and on http://uk.chehomeopathy.com/

About the CHE:

At CHE we’re passionate about creating a homeopathic community where we share information and support each other. So please check out our blog [http://uk.chehomeopathy.com/blog/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/CHEhomeopathy] and Twitter [https://www.twitter.com/chehomeopathy] to connect with like-minded people, and stay in touch with us.